


I Don't Do Well With Children

by ThePlatypusPrincess



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwatch Era, Fluff, I need more little Fareeha in my life, Moira's nonexistent maternal instinct, Omnic Crisis, early days of overwatch, pure Moira fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 18:11:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15054893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePlatypusPrincess/pseuds/ThePlatypusPrincess
Summary: When the rest of Overwatch is stretched thin and science needs doing, Moira is happy to be left behind to continue her experiments. However, taking care of young persons during power outages is not in her job description.





	I Don't Do Well With Children

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy! My first fic in ages and it's Overwatch. Honestly, I took one look at Moira when she was released and realized I just had to get into the game specifically for her. Headcanons started bouncing around and, frankly, I had to include them here. Everything needed to be fluffy and I couldn't get the image out of my head of Fareeha bouncing around headquarters and bumping into Moira. 
> 
> Anyways, here's this and I hope you enjoy it. I had a lot of fun writing it.

The hum of the generators ground to a screeching halt, jolting Moira awake with her doors sliding open. She groaned, lifting her head from the pillow. Her hud flared to life as she took it from the now dead charging station. 

 

“Power outage. Fantastic…” 

 

She sat up, rubbing the black rims that were now permanently installed around her eyes. One of the few genetic experiments that had gone brilliantly and harmlessly right. A simple cosmetic procedure born out of sheer curiosity. 

 

The hud plinked as she contacted Gabriel. 

 

“Reyes, I've run into a snag.”

 

“A snag? You? Also it is… 3 in the morning back at base? I thought we agreed-” 

 

Moira waved him away, showing her bed on the tiny built in camera. “I was sleeping, dearest.” She stretched the word as sarcastically as humanly possible. 

 

“You're not kidding around?”

 

Moira sighed. “Yes, Gabriel. I actually was sleeping. But the last experiment… I left it running overnight for concise results and we just lost power. ‘Fraid I'll have to start anew in the mornin’.” A yawn threw her carefully controlled accent into chaos, the Irish coming to the forefront. 

 

Gabe sighed. “Are you the only one in the base? I know we're all stretched thin on, like, twelve different missions right now.” 

 

“Hm… I might be. Wait…” She placed the hud on the cradle and finger counted the members of Overwatch. “All of the members should be gone. Can't access Athena with the main hub down.” 

 

“Lemme see if I can.”

 

Moira waited and suddenly pointed a spring loaded syringe at the open door. A small figure shrank back from the frame. 

 

“Reyes!”

 

“Yo! Athena is searching-”

 

“Did Amari take her welp with her?”

 

Deafening silence from the other end.

 

“Reyes, patch her in. There is a small person at my door and you know how children like to scarper when they see my face.” 

 

There was a shuffle at Moira’s door and a weak flashlight shone on her face.

 

“Not in the eyes! Didn't your ma ever teach you any manners.”

 

The beam lowered and Ana’s cheerful voice chimed in. 

 

“Miss O’Deorain. A rare pleasure.”

 

“You left your kid and we've had a power outage.” 

 

There was a low chuckle from the hud. “Oh dear… and there's no one else, I know. Well, you will have to watch out for her.”

 

Moira hissed. “She's skulking about my door. Talk to your child.” 

 

There was a gentle smattering of Arabic and Moira nearly launched herself from the bed when the girl jumped onto the mattress. Moira shoved her thin form as far against the headboard as she could manage, leaving nearly a full bed length between her and the child.  

 

“As your superior officer, I am asking as a favor that you allow my little Fareeha to stay in your room tonight. She is quite frightened of the dark.”

 

Moira balked. “You're not serious! I'm no good with children.”

 

“As your superior officer, that favor is now an order. She will bring her own blanket and pillow. Goodnight, Dr. O’Deorain.” 

 

“Hang on-”

 

The hud went dead and several rather colorful Gaelic phrases dropped from the overly red mouth. Fareeha hung her head, motionless at the end of the bed. Moira glared at the child, but lit up the prototype health orb as a lamp from the battery. 

 

“Get your blanket.”

 

“Where-”

 

“Pick a spot. There's a standard-issue couch over there that even your legs will fit on.” 

 

Fareeha settled her quilt on the couch and Moira burrowed beneath her five blankets and comforter. Regardless of the season, the base was always so cold. It was fine during the day but it was one of the contributing factors to the lack of sleep. 

 

“Goodnight, doctor.”

 

Moira snorted. “G’night.” 

 

The silence stretched and Moira could feel herself nodding off for some much needed shuteye. 

 

“Doctor?”

 

“This isn't a slumber party. Go to sleep.”

 

Fareeha sat up. “How can you sleep with the door open?”

 

Moira blinked. “...What do you mean?”

 

“Aren't you scared that something will come through?”

 

Moira gave up on the notion of sleep. “The only people and things here are you, me, and the training bots that run on our servers. They're inactive during outages.”

 

“But all of the doors open during an outage. Mum told me. Doesn't that include the front door?”

 

Moira sat up. Now that was a notion. She swung her legs over the side of the bed. 

 

“If it will make you sleep, then I'll check.”

 

“I'm going with you.” 

 

Moira sighed, cracking her now stiff vertebrae. “Fine. Stick close. Put that thing on its lowest setting. I won't have you blinding me.” 

 

Fareeha nodded, careful to point the beam away and down the hall. Moira’s penguin socks made no sound as she walked down the stairs toward the front gate. In theory, the grid was supposed to completely seal the gate just in case the higher ups were staying and there was an omnic attack. In practice… they actually hadn't had many, and there had always been a full staff on hand. Moira was good, very good. But she wasn't good enough to take on a full army alone. 

 

She peeked around the corner and her heart sank. “Point your light at the opening, but not so that they can see you..”

 

Fareeha did as she was told and Moira scowled at the clearly open door. 

 

“I told that absolute imbecile to fix that door.” 

 

“Mr. Torbjorn?”

 

“Yeah. Him.” 

 

Moira snarled as she readied the prototype life draining biotic grasp. The sleet was a wall outside. Her hackles raised as she spotted a few cars pass by on the street. The headquarters was in a relatively populous area nowhere near the Omnic Crisis, but that didn't mean her work wouldn't be threatened by creatures with beating hearts. Not to mention Amari would cut her funding and kick her halfway to hell and back if anything happened to the child. 

 

She took a spare battery from the emergency cupboard and began wiring it to the door as many of them had done every time the ruddy thing had jammed or lost power. All she needed was a seal. That's all. Then she could finally sleep. She had actually begun enjoying the practice. 

 

Wires crossed and sparks flew onto her hands; small pinpricks she ignored. A soft gasp sounded near her hip and she looked at the crouching pre-teen. Her eyes were wide, flashlight firmly pointed out the door. Moira spotted the metallic sheen of an omnic wandering outside the perimeter fence and nudged Fareeha with her knee; a clear “get back.” Her fingers flew across the wires as the door flickered to life. The gigantic sheets of metal closed agonizingly slowly as the red rectangle of light toddled toward them. A dull shine of light off the barrel of a gun. The purple orb flared to life, exploding out of Moira’s palm. 

 

Fareeha ducked away as a bullet flew through the opening. The purple beam latched onto the omnic, its servos freezing. The doors finally closed and Moira cut off the energy, falling against the wall as the residual burned her hand. 

 

“Well… experiment a success, I suppose.” 

 

There were still telltale booms as the rogue omnic continued shooting. Moira pointed with her singed finger. 

 

“The manual crank, start turning it. The battery will only hold for so long. Give me a second to stand up.” 

 

Fareeha threw her weight against the crank and the heavy lock began to slip a notch at a time. Moira hissed and yanked the other side. Sometimes she really wished she could actually throw her weight around like the others, but that would quite possibly ruin her own potential. She gave a few more shoves to help Fareeha on and the manual lock clanked shut. The girl fell to the ground. Moira sighed, sliding down the wall next to her. 

 

The booming stopped as the local force arrived to stop the rogue. As per protocol they simply cleaned up and left. Overwatch took care of its own. 

 

“I have an extra pillow.” 

 

Fareeha looked up. “Sorry?”

 

“I won't give you my plush things, but I do have an extra pillow you can have for the night.” Moira paused. “Well… I can lend you one of them. But you have to give it back come morning.” 

 

Fareeha’s lips tugged into the smallest smile as Moira helped her to her feet. The trudge back upstairs wasn’t half so bad. 

 

Moira glanced at her hud watch. Just a little bit before 4am. Well, Gabriel would be on the receiving end of her newly operational biotic orb if he woke her up before noon. 

 

Fareeha placed the extra pillow on the arm of the couch and snuggled in. A bit of a heavy something slammed into her stomach and she looked down at the plush pastel rainbow fish. She could barely make out the glint of Moira’s teeth as she grinned. 

 

“G’night.”

 

“Good night, doc.” 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Gabriel walked through the still open door and knocked on the wall, frowning at the shock of fiery hair sticking out of the blankets. 

 

“‘Ey, doc-”

 

A well-aimed couch pillow came flying at him from the opposite direction, hitting him square in the chest. He startled, glaring at the tousled dark eyes that matched his grump for grump. 

 

“Go ‘way.” 

 

“It is eleven in the morning.”

 

Moira flung another pillow at him from her bed, hair sticking out at odd angles. “Yeh, well, you didn’t have to fight off a mech last night wi’ no weapons and no weight to turn the lock, now, did ye?” She could care less about her accent coloring her words today. She wanted to get back to sleep. What a glorious practice it was. 

 

Gabriel frowned. “There was an omnic?”

 

“Yeah. And the doc threw this cool purple light at it and it freaked out and we had to manually close the lock and I got a rainbow fish. Now go away. I’m tired.” 

 

Moira shrugged, making a mental note to run the experiment the outage had ruined when she was in a better mood for number running. 

 

“What she said. I’m taking the day off. Sleep will encourage the growth of our potential.”

 

Fareeha stuck her tongue out. “No idea what that means, but yeah. What she said.” 

 

Gabe sighed. “Fine. On your heads be it.” He threw the pillows both back on Moira’s bed and left the room. Moira grinned and threw the spare back at Fareeha. 

 

“Good morning. Get some rest. I meant it. You’re going to be an absolute beast if that aim was any indication.” 

 

“Sounds cool. See you later.” 

 

Moira snuggled back under the covers as the generators struggled to grind themselves back on. Perhaps she wasn’t so bad with children after all. 

 


End file.
